The Erotic Literary Salon will be held Tuesday, June 19. The evening will start with the Adult Sex-Ed Salon a one-hour program devoted to sex and sexuality. The audience will have the opportunity to pose any questions regarding sex and sexuality anonymously.Sexologist Susana Mayer, PhD, along with co-host Walter will facilitate the Adult Sex-Ed Salon and attendees interested in sharing their knowledge and experiences will join in the discussion. This is always an extremely lively, audience driven Q & A period.

Featured reader Lola LePaon is a published erotica author. She will read the first story in her recently released book, “Flick,” based on the split decision moment when you decide to refrain or give in to something definitively; whether it is cheating, or revenge, or experimentation. Each story builds up to a decision, and the reader selects the direction. The word “flick” by definition means a sudden movement or to propel as such. In this instance the reader is propelled into fantasy. “Flick” is erotica framed as a choose your own adventure story. Instagram: @FLICK_by_Lola; Twitter: @Author_Lola

PHILADELPHIA: The Erotic Literary Salon, unique in the English-speaking world has launched a growing movement mainstreaming erotica. Salons attract a supportive audience of 60 or more individuals. Approximately 10-15 attendees participate as writers, readers, storytellers, spoken-word performers of original works. The audience has the opportunity to participate reading sexuality quotes from various books or they can just listen, enjoy and applaud. Sign-up to read at the door; guidelines can be found at the Salon’s website.

Salons gather the 3rd Tuesday of every month at TIME (The Bohemian Absinthe Lounge), 1315 Sansom Street, Center City, Philadelphia. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., for cocktails, food and conversation. Adult Sex-Ed between 7:00-8:00, readings begin at approximately8:30. Admission is $12, discounted for students and seniors to $10. Salon attendees must be 21.

Creator of this event, Dr. Susana, is Philadelphia’s best-known sexologist. She lends her voice to the Salon by offering relevant information to support the discussions that arise in the Salon and blog.

“…surprisingly comfortable….Salon devotees praise her for the space she has created….”

“I think Susana is doing a very brave thing.”

Philadelphia Inquirer, February 10, 2010

“There are laughter and tears along with the hot rush of blood – to the face.

Daily News, March 15, 2010

“I never knew such a life of honesty could exist. I finally found a home I can be comfortable in…this event changed my life.

San Francisco during the 1960s could be a dangerous place for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

It was much different than the swinging ‘70s and violence and brutality towards LGBT people were not uncommon occurrences, often times coming from the police officers who were supposed to be serving and protecting the community.

In the new documentary: “Lewd & Lascivious,” director Jallen Rix tells the forgotten story of how a group of straight ministers, drag queens and queer people stood up to the San Francisco Police Department when it sought to raid a dance that had been organized by the ministers for the community.

Most LGBT people know about the Stonewall Riots and other major events in queer history, but many don’t know about this chapter and Rix is hoping to help rectify that with his documentary.

While production on “Lewd & Lascivious” is finished, Rix has brought his film to Kickstarter to help it reach a larger audience once the film completes its festival circuit. The archival footage currently being used in the film only has a short term contract, and if there’s any hope of using that footage outside of the film festival scene, the team behind the documentary needs to secure more funds. They also plan to use the additional funding to finish the post-production on the film such as color correction and to secure international distribution.

From Dr. Jallen Rix’s website: “Who would have guessed that the dawn of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement in San Francisco was jump-started by straight ministers at a dance? This little-known, yet pivotal event happened the first day of 1965, and it was an occasion like never before. For the first time, all the fledgling “homophile” organizations came together as one to put on a costume ball, publicly revealing their community in a thoroughly respectable, yet overtly political, and queerly fabulous fashion! The twist was they were rallied by progressive straight ministers who had seen, firsthand, the brutal police violence against this community and they were determined to do something about it. So when the SFPD showed up to try and shut the party down, the results were explosively historic! The event has been known as the 1965 Police Raid on California Hall, but it was almost lost to history.

Jallen Rix heard the story on his first day of graduate school and it had such an impact on him, the Police Raid became his area of research for his dissertation. When Coproducer Chris Sinton heard the story and realized that a number of the key dance instigators were not long for this world, he knew they had to do something about it. The result of their efforts is the documentary, Lewd and Lascivious which recovers for today’s and future audiences the landmark event in American history when just being perceived as homosexual was reason enough to discriminate, and being caught in gay sexual activity was “Lewd and Lascivious Conduct” and could result in years-long prison sentences.

The movie appeared in a few LGBTQ festivals, most notably the world premiere in the city where it all began, San Francisco, at the 37th Frameline Festival. Several of the cast members were able to attend. During the Q&A just after the film, the cast was asked to stand which resulted in the sold-out crowd jumping to their feet and going crazy with applause, and applause, and more applause. 50 years after the actual event, those people who sacrificed so much for everyone’s civil rights were being appreciated like never before. It was a moment never to be forgotten! With this film, we hope their work will never be forgotten.”

I developed the Salon in May 2008 to mainstream erotica. Women in my focus groups claimed they were feminists and therefore would never read erotica. At next week’s Salon I shall tell an abridged version of the many paths taken to lead to the present day Salon.

Also, the attendees will have the opportunity to participate anonymously, as they create questions of a sexual nature to match the statements they will be given at the Salon.

Chlamydia dell’Arte will perform their marvelous sex-ed burlesque routines, and some of our attendees will share wonderful erotica.

Frances my Chosen Mom and first reader at the Salon, wrote her first erotic piece at 91. Sensexual: A Unique Anthology is dedicated to her and a majority of her work is published within.

First piece ever read:

Editor’s Note: When Frances, the Salon’s nonagenarian in residence, first came to read at the Salon at 91, she used the pseudonym Lily. She was fearful of losing her volunteer position: working with young school children in Florida. A year later she threw caution to the wind, and became Frances to all who attend the Salon.

This piece was her first attempt at writing erotica about an experience that happened when she was 89.

I am Lily‚ there he was, the man, standing by the pool of our senior community. My eyes stood still and my breath slowed down. I hadn’t seen a white haired man who could touch my heart for almost a lifetime. We reached for each other and agreed to meet the next week.

Without shame, I lay naked on the bed, eagerly separating my legs as the man knelt before me. My body warmed in a new way. Ripples of movement ran through me‚ and music by Vivaldi.

My skin smoothed out and was flooded with rosy coloring. I was a painting by Rubens and the man said I was beautiful.

Editor’s Note: Frances had forgotten to mention the title, but after being cued, blurted out “First Date.” Upon hearing the audience gasp she said, “We’re old, we don’t have that much time.”

First Date, continued

It is now seven years later—I am back in Florida for the six-month period I spend in the sun, doing volunteer work with children and with older people. I look forward to seeing the man again, renewing our friendship and our love.

There he is standing on my doorstep—now aged 97—very skinny and very frail. We sat on the couch like two kids on their first date until I suggested we go into the bedroom.

When the man delivering my life call emergency machine interrupted us, we pulled ourselves together and looked quite innocent—actually we were—almost.

Frances passed away in October at 100 ½ of natural causes.While we partied for 2 days prior to her death, as she requested, I shared this piece with friends and relatives, some who had never heard her erotica. She lay in bed while I read, smiling and most proud. She loved being part of the Salon’s community.

There is a video on the home page of the Salon’s website where you can hear Frances reading the adult, children’s formatted book, “Go The Fuck To Sleep.”

The Erotic Literary Salon will be held Tuesday, May 15. The evening will start with the Adult Sex-Ed Salon a one-hour program devoted to sex and sexuality. The audience will have the opportunity to pose any questions regarding sex and sexuality anonymously.Sexologist Susana Mayer, PhD, along with co-host Walter will facilitate the Adult Sex-Ed Salon and attendees interested in sharing their knowledge and experiences will join in the discussion. This is always an extremely lively, audience driven Q & A period.

The Erotic Literary Salon celebrates its 10thyear of being a verbal sanctuary for sexual expression. Chlamydia dell’Artewill provide edutainment in the form of aSex-Ed Burlesque Show. They use skits, songs, dance, and comedy to talk about sex and human sexuality. Created in 2009, CDA has performed to acclaimed and sold-out runs in Philadelphia, Washington, New York, Vancouver, and Montreal.https://www.facebook.com/Chlamydia.dell.Arte/ They will be performing at the Capital Fringe in Washington DC. Five performances between July 18-24 (tickets go on sale June 18) https://www.capitalfringe.org/festival-13-2018

The attendees will also have the opportunity to participate anonymously, as they create questions of a sexual nature to match the statements they will be given at the Salon.

PHILADELPHIA: The Erotic Literary Salon, unique in the English-speaking world has launched a growing movement mainstreaming erotica. Salons attract a supportive audience of 60 or more individuals. Approximately 10-15 attendees participate as writers, readers, storytellers, spoken-word performers of original works. The audience has the opportunity to participate reading sexuality quotes from various books or they can just listen, enjoy and applaud. Sign-up to read at the door; guidelines can be found at the Salon’s website.

Salons gather the 3rd Tuesday of every month at TIME (The Bohemian Absinthe Lounge), 1315 Sansom Street, Center City, Philadelphia. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., for cocktails, food and conversation. Adult Sex-Ed between 7:00-8:00, readings begin at approximately8:30. Admission is $12, discounted for students and seniors to $10. Salon attendees must be 21.

Creator of this event, Dr. Susana, is Philadelphia’s best-known sexologist. She lends her voice to the Salon by offering relevant information to support the discussions that arise in the Salon and blog.

“…surprisingly comfortable….Salon devotees praise her for the space she has created….”

“I think Susana is doing a very brave thing.”

Philadelphia Inquirer, February 10, 2010

“There are laughter and tears along with the hot rush of blood – to the face.

Daily News, March 15, 2010

“I never knew such a life of honesty could exist. I finally found a home I can be comfortable in…this event changed my life.

EBOOK – “SenSexual: A Unique Anthology 2013”

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4 Videos Below-Readings are only recorded at the request of the presenter.

Monica Day performance/reading two poems: The Fifth Year and This is My Body for January 2013 Erotic Literary Salon
M. Dante reading SKIN dedicated to the art and inspiration of Heide Hatry for December 2013 Erotic Literary Salon
Frances' reading,“Go the Fok to Sleep”
Dr. Susana Mayer’s NBC10 interview of “50 Shades of Grey”